Gabriel Martinelli’s late deflected strike was the only goal in a tight, tense game in north London as we suffered a league defeat against last season’s title rivals for the first time since 2015.
Former Arsenal striker Campbell doesn’t believe the result will have too much of an impact on who the rest of the division will fear most.
Speaking during our Matchday Live analysis after the game, Campbell insisted that Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal players will still see City, champions in each of the last three seasons, as the favourites for silverware.
“It looked like it was going to be a draw because I don’t think either team created anything clear cut,” he started.
“City had the better chances in the first half but Arsenal had one slice of luck and it proved to be the winning goal.
“I don’t think Mikel Arteta is going to be going crazy about this result. It’s good for them to win at home but Manchester City will be the team to beat still.
“We’ve seen what City do. They don’t peak now, they peak after Christmas when it matters most.”
Campbell was joined in the Matchday Live studio by Paul Dickov and David James.
When asked about the effect of Rodrigo’s absence on the team, Dickov felt that the Spaniard – serving the final game in a three-match ban - wouldn’t necessarily have turned the result around.
“Rodri’s a top, top player. He’s the best player in the world in that position but I don’t think we’ve lost that game because he wasn’t playing,” said Dickov.
“You had two teams that showed a lot of respect for each other and didn’t want to give anything anyway. It looked as if both teams had settled for a point and then they scored.
“I wouldn’t read too much into that but the good thing is, we don’t have to talk about Rodri being missing. He’s back now.”
Matchday Live
Matchday Live is a live show on every men’s matchday, giving you a view on the Treble winners and a look at our latest opponents from some City favourites past and present.
Starting with the team news around an hour before kick-off, our studio presenter and star-studded panel look ahead to the fixture with a mixture of analysis and games.
Once the match gets going, we have live radio commentary from Alistair Mann.
At half-time and full-time, it’s back to the studio in Manchester to get the view of former City and Premier League stars on what they have seen.
